As most of you have heard by now, the original Mister Spock has passed. This is this forum's in memoriam thread.
I can't remember a time in my life when Star Trek was not a part of it. My childhood was kind of lonely, and Leonard Nimoy's Spock was like a friend to me. Damn.
I don't know what to say ... I am emotionally compromised! Really, I'm fighting my tears right now ...
Found the tweet Still compiling my photos but here is a short video. [yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFHeHXiz22E[/yt]
I gathered some pictures of Leonard Nimoy to share. Spoiler: Leonard Nimoy Pictures Leonard and his son
I do give TOS a lot of shit both on these forums and in real life yet, together with Uhura, Spock was one of the two characters of the show I did like. He was also probably the most developed character from that show. And Nimoy was a good actor, portraying him as much more complex than later Vulcan characters. One of my earliest Star Trek memories is a scene from TOS where Spock volunteers as test subject to an experimental treatment to help the people of the Planet of the Week. The treatment included a potentially blinding flash and the doctor/scientist offered Spock protective glasses to shield his eyes but Spock declined because there would be no protection for all the people on the planet either. Even as a child I found that very admirable. Does anybody know what episode that is form? Also anybody remember the "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"? I stumbled upon it years ago and I actually quite like it. I saw it in an otherwise not very funny LOTR parody on New Grounds, spawning the line "We'll juts wait here for Leonard Nimoy and he'll come with some hot Hippie Elven chicks to save us." : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGF5ROpjRAU
I know I didn't cry until I saw Zach Quinto's tribute on Instagram. Heck, a lot of excellent tributes. I got into Star Trek with TNG, but I grew to love the TOS characters. I loved Spock. He was smart and pretty darned cute. He was the binding tie to the generations. Out of the Vulcan makeup, Mr. Nimoy seemed so warm and kind. It's hard to see Trek without him, but I accept what he said as Spock in Star Trek VI: "It is a reminder to me that all things end."
He will be missed from the real lovers of trek,i was out all day and heard the news,im not in shock yet,tomorrow im going to be upset,cant watch the original series knowing that he is no longer with us,only a few more and the enterprise can leave spacedock and explore heaven together.
Leonard Nimoy actually cared about STAR TREK and its fans, which continues to surprise me, really, because he did have something of a career after STAR TREK. And you can see how much he cared, by giving the crew more to do in the movies he directed. He also spoke up for his comrades, insisting he would not voice the 70's cartoon, unless George and Nichelle were involved, as they were going to be excluded, originally. He also helped his co-stars in other ways, during the TOS movies. And he believed in STAR TREK's potential to inspire, because he evidently read his fan mail, he went to conventions and such. He also believed in giving peace a chance - a message somewhat in TVH and certainly there in TUC, which he contributed to significantly. In my Bonus Features for TSFS, I believe, he even goes on to say that he understood fans' attachment to STAR TREK props and merchandise and he likened it to how people have always collected baseball cards and such. He was very accepting and understanding of some of the excentricities of STAR TREK fandom, while Shatner always seemed to be somewhat repelled by it.
The part I bolded in your quote was indeed some of the things that endeared me to Mr. Nimoy. Certainly the actor's actor.
Here is something i put together this morning in memory to a Great man. You will be missed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOGLFthaaiU
After hearing the news and being fine with it all day, I decided to watch "The Wrath of Khan" last night as sort of a tribute. Holy crap, I've never cried so hard from watching a movie. I've seen it a million times, and it's never affected me, but coupling it with the news of Leonard Nimoy's passing was surprisingly overwhelming.
I know of at least one bar here in Chicago that was showing TOS episodes and movie clips of Nimoy as Spock in tribute -- and it's great in that these tributes bring fans physically together to mourn and celebrate as a community. As for me, watching TOS movies is a given to remember him. But I also plan to go the road less traveled and watch some of his non Trek work, like 3 Men and a Baby or Mission: Impossible. The power of Nimoy was that, as Spock or any other role, as actor or director or poet, he knew exactly how to tap into an audience and keep them hooked.
He did. He was not just a good actor, but also a very good man and I would even go so far as to say that he and Spock, more than any other actor/character were really the star of Star Trek. He is the one most people who don't even like Star Trek or have never seen an episode of any of the shows know about, Spock, the Vulcan salute, "Live Long and Prosper" and all that. Plus he managed to play an emotionless/stoic character as a three dimensional being. Not many actors could do that.